Well,

 

I went and installed Windows 7 Beta and so far so good. Most people avoid betas like the plague but I have found that no matter what happens you tend to learn something (albeit sometimes the hard way). It has only a few cosmetic changes. I would liken it to the upgrade from Windows 3 to 3.11 which was significant in terms of functionality but look & feel were almost identical. To use a car anology Windows 7 from Vista is a lot like replacing the engine out of a nice looking car for something a lot more reliable and well built.

 

I like that the sidebar has died in favor of standalone desktop gadgets. I like the new format for the menu bar and streamlined security alerts etc. Well see how it performs. So far it’s pretty nice with nary a single conflict. I isntalled it as an upgrade which is usually prone to more issues than a clean install.

 

If anybody else is running it let me know what you think.

 

Having just read a review of the book Death By Love, by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears I have shifted my reading to see if I can get through this. The book has been sitting on my shelf for a couple of months now as I knew that I would eventually have to read something by Driscoll. He’s an intriguing and enigmatic character within current North American Christian leadership. Driscoll resists classification and categorization. People want to call him emergent but he holds to some fairly conservative doctrines. Others want to call him evangelical but once again, in other areas he seems outside of this vein. I suspect that because he resists classification people do not trust him. People do not trust what they cannot put into a box or a category. That being said the world is changing and the lines between the boxes are blurring whether we like it or not. Things are becoming more nuanced and require a more detailed eye to be explained…personally I think this is a good thing, an iron sharpening thing.

 

Anyhow – if you’ve read the book let me know your thoughts. The review I read can be found here:

 

 

 

 

I have recently finished reading Timothy Keller’s book The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith, and I am better for it. Keller seems to be a new author on the scene having published his first two books this past year (I’m reading his other book – The Reason for God now). I was first connected with the book through the recommendation of my good friend Loni who got another book by Keller from her son for Christmas. I was on Amazon ordering the other book when the offer was made of both books for a better price.

 

The Prodigal God is part of a larger movement that seems to be happening within Christianity, I would call the movement Corrective Christianity aka a series of course corrections back toward orthodoxy…in some ways a re-formation of Christianity in response to the changing world we live in. I would include authors such as N.T. Wright, Rob Bell, Philip Yancey and others in this movement which I think is good and necessary.

 

In his book Keller is presenting what has been traditionally known as the parable of the prodigal son. Keller refers to it as the parable of the lost sons for reasons that quickly become apparent. He titles the book The Prodigal God based on the Webster definition of prodigal which is: "recklessly spendthrift". The idea of course is that God, represented by the father in the parable, is recklessly spendthrift (therefore prodigal) with His love toward his children.

 

Keller impresses with his intellect and his rare ability to communicate intelligent concepts and ideas simply without a hint of arrogance or patronizing. No doubt Keller’s years as presbyterian pastor in New York City (and perhaps his Lutheran upbringing) have trained him to communicate in such a manner. It should be noted that his books have received positive reviews from such diverse sources as Rick Warren, Billy Graham and Christianity Today on the one hand and The New York Times, The Washington Post, World Magazine and Publishers Weekly on the other. To straddle such a fence of opinion is no small feat.

 

There are many things that recommend the book not the least of which is its slim size (139 pages) and approachable narrative style. Keller combines the heart of a pastor with the mind of an intellectual and presents something very powerful in his presentation of the parable. Perhaps the most brilliant characteristic of the book is that as you read it you find yourself thinking that everything he is saying is common sense and yet it had never occurred to you that way before. It is a good skill to present an old truth in a new way and Keller does just that.

 

The book is bound to become a classic (for the short term at least) and one which must be reread regularly for full impact; I highly recommend it.

 

Well. I am officially a single parent till Sunday afternoon sometime. I will be enjoying some time with my younger two – Caleb and Itsy.

All that to say if you’re bored come by and say hi. We’ll play some vids, listen to music or just hang out. Thanks to Pastor C. for the loan of her van over the weekend so we won’t be complete hermits. Pray for our quiz team that the enjoy themselves and travel safely.

 

I was watching the trailer for Wes Craven’s upcoming movie The Last House on the Left and there was this super awesome version of Gun’s & Roses’ song Sweet Child o’ Mine playing. A little digging and I found out it is by Swedish singer Victoria Bergsman, former lead singer for the band the Concretes. The cover is part of her latest solo project Taken By Trees. I highly recommend it and have become a fan of her. Check her out if you get a chance and let me know what you think.

 

The following is a quote from a book I am reading currently which you will hear more about because I am absolutely loving it. More on that later.

 

 

Well – we arrived home from church this morning frightened of what we would see. You see we decided we would leave our latest family addition, 5 month old yellow labish pup Jericho, out of his cage to hang with our seven year old boxer Pepper. Usually we cage him up but he’s such ridiculous stress ball in the cage and sooooo drooly that we’d come home to fin him a nervous wreck with about two litres of disgusting drool all over the floor.

 

So anyhow we walk in the door and are greeted by the barks of Jericho, who is far more territorial than Pepper ever was. Jericho and Pepper spent the morning laying on the futon in the middle of the living room floor. Not a thing was chewed or destroyed or drooled on unless you count a chewed up slipper that none of us own – we don’t count it. So all is well. The dog will not have to contribute any flesh for his sins. He was alone for three hours so we think that’s a good trial. We’ll see.

 

Just an update on the conflict for those of you not keeping score. Since the battle between Israel and Hamas erupted last week the score (in deaths caused) is as follows:

 

Israeli Defence Force: 460

Hamas Rocket Attacks: 4

 

The offensive continues.

 

Also – check out the following video on CNN explaining why it is so difficult to obtain an accurate idea of what is going on:

 

 

So the last few days have been a blessing of family, friends and fellowship. It has been a true celebration of the season and I am glad that Christ’s birht can bring such fellowship in our secular age.

 

Of course i personally feel as though I have gained 397 and 1/4 pounds in the past couple of weeks. Gluttony has been a dominant sin in my life lately and I am paying for it now.

 

The other night we were over at Angie and Wes’s for a fantastic dinner and a little after dinner Call of Duty. Woo hoo. Yesterday we really needed to stay home for New Year’s Eve as is our tradition. Last week the Magi came over and a little Fallout was had. Our friends Ben and Megan came over and we celebrated with them and watched an episode of 3rd Rock from the Sun. They got us the entire season one for Christmas. So much fun. Megan also pointed out to me another group that is reminiscent of Ida Maria – it is the New York band the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs – so far – I like them a lot.

 

Today we were over at our friends Loni and Jim’s and family for a casual afternoon hanging out and a fantastic meal in the evening. Whew. What a blessing is our community. Now I am not feeling well and going to bed right after this post so I can be rested up to finish my sermon for Sunday. Loni introduced me to a new author who I think I will greatly appreciate – Timothy Keller. I ordered two of his books this evening and will keep you posted. The books I ordered were The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism; and The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith.

 

Final Thought: Speaking of Ida Maria, her song Stella has an interesting scenario in which God offers to give the world to an old prostitute if she will spend the evening with him in conversation. In the course of the lyrics she sings:

 

And It made me realise
how much you wanna give away just to feel love
And the Lord blinked to me and asked
what is real love to you
what is fake and what is true

 

Of course the song is far from being a sacred song but as is usual with art you find glimpses of great wisdom. How much are people willing to give in order to feel love? Perhaps everything? How much was God willing to give so that we might share in His love? He gave Himself? How much are we willing to give back in response?